Apparatus for making square metal tubes.



P. H. SEERY. APPARATUS FOR MAKING SQUARE METAL TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1910.

Patented July 11, 1911.

ion.

PETER H. SEERY, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING SQUARE METAL TUBES.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER H. Sunny, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for MakingSquare Metal Tubes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figuresof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for making square orrectangular tubing by forming a sheet of metal directly into a square orrectangular tube without first making the sheet into a round or similartube. The present machine does not necessitate the manufacture of around tube and the subsequent shaping of it into a square tube. Thislatter step places considerable strain on the material and particularlywhere the seam is brazed or soldered and this very often opens.

By my present invention I can make either a butt oint or a lap joint andform a square tube quickly and cheaply from a sheet of metal.

The invention is illustrated panying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is aside view of part of a metal press with the die used in making the tubeand also a square mandrel which is employed. Fig. 2 is an enlargedsection on line 2, 2, in Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4t, 5 and 6 are views similarto Fig. 2 showing successive operations in making a tube. Fig. 7 is aview of part of a press with the apparatus in the positions shown inFig. 4. Figs. 8 and 9 are sections of the latter part of the processwhen the seam is a lap seam.

The apparatus, that is the dies, mandrel, etc., used in making the tubeby my new process, can be attached to any press adapted for stampingmetal, and the bed plate 10 can be of any form to support the die 11which embraces the tube in its manufacture, this bed plate and diecooperating with the hammer 12 which carries the movable portion of theforming device. I have illustrated a press for making square tubes andwill limit my description to such form although it in the accom-Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 31, 1910.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Serial No. 564,030.

will be understood that other forms can be made by changing the die andmandrel.

The bed plate 10 has the die 11 placed thereon, the die being preferablymade to slide on the bed plate, being guided by the rib 13 fitting in agroove in the bed plate, and the die can he slid along to be acted on byseparate hammers, or it can be successively used under the same hammer.The die has agroove 1 1 of the proper shape. A sheet 15 of metal, whichsheet is of the proper size, is laid on the die as in Fig. 2, beingpositioned if necessary by a gage 16, and a strip 17 which forms themale part of the die is placed on the sheet 15, as in Figs. 1 and 2. Thehammer 12 now de scends, forcing the bar 18 which is secured to it andno wider than the strip 17, on said strip and forces the strip 17 in thegroove, thus forming a U-shaped structure from the sheet 15, theprojecting ends 19, on the withdrawal of the block 18, being the onlyportion of the sheet 15 visible above the flush upper surface of the dieand the rib. A pair of round rods 20 are now placed, one on the outsideof each projecting end 19 (see Figs. 4 and 7). A block 21 is secured toa movable hammer 12 in a manner similar to the bar 18. The block 21 hasinclined faces 22 on its bottom edge, which faces engage the rods 20 andby forcing the rods toward each other, cause the rods to roll theprojecting ends 19 down against the strip 17 which now acts as an anvil.This step is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5. If desired, means can beinstalled for holding the rods 20 before they are forced to roll theends 19, said holding means being preferably detachable and alsoyielding in its relation to the block 21.

The preferred form of holding means consists of a series of detachablefingers 23, each finger being set into a recess 24: in a boss 25, thebosses being disposed along each side of the die. A sprin 26 is arrangedin each boss 25, the springs holding the fingers so that the fingerssecure the rods 20 in place, but the springs permit the fingers toretreat in their respective recesses when forced down by being engagedby the block 21. After the projecting ends have been rolled as abovedescribed, the bar 18 can again, if necessary, be brought down on thefolded projecting ends and insure the straightening and squaring of thesquare tube, This operation is illustrated in Fig. 6. The strip 17 canbe removed from the tube and the tube is ready for use. It will beunderstood that soldering or brazing can be employed to seal orstrengthen the joint or scam in the tube.

\Vhen the joint is a lap joint the projecting ends must be folded oversuccessively, one slightly preceding the other. This is accomplished byplacing the die 11 and the block 21 slightly out of vertical alinementso that one of the faces 22 will engage its roller or bar slightly inadvance of the other one, and in this way the projecting ends are madeto descend 011 the anvil as shown in Fig. 9, that is, with one precedingthe other. The last step, as in Fig. 6, used on a lap joint makes afinished closure for the tube.

It will be understood that the bar 18 of the block 21 can be used ondifferent heads and the die successively passed under them, or it can beattached alternately to the same head and the die removed fromunderneath the head and then replaced at each successive operation. Thefingers 23 are made removable so that they can be raised from theirrecesses by the operator and thus permit a flush surface on which thesheet 15 can be laid when it is to be acted on by the strip 17.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A device formaking square tubing comprising a die with a square groove therein, astrip to fit in the groove, a pair of round rods, a detachable holdingmeans on the die for retaining the rods in their normal position on thedie, the holding means being adapted to yield to pressure toward thedie, and a'block acting to descend and force the rods toward each other.

2. A device for making square tubing comprising a die with a groovetherein, a strip to fit in the groove, a pair of rods, detachablefingers for retaining the rods in their normal position on the die, thefingers being adapted to yield to pressure toward the die, and means forforcing the rods toward each other.

3. A device for making square tubing comprising a die with a groovetherein, a strip to fit in the groove, a pair of rods, the die havingrecesses therein, springs in the recesses, fingers removably arranged inthe recesses and resting on the springs, the fingers being adapted tohold the rods in their normal position on the die, and a block acting toforce the rods toward each other.

4. A device for making square tubing comprising a die with a groovetherein, a strip .to fit in the groove, a pair of rods, the die havingrecesses therein, springs in the recesses, fingers removably arranged inthe recesses and resting on the springs, the fingers being adapted tohold the rods in their normal position on the die, and a block withinclined faces which are adapted to engage the rods and force themtoward each other when the block descends.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my handthis 25th day of May, 1910.

' PETER H. SEERY. W itnesses VVM. H. CAMFIELD, E. A. PELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

